Whispers In The Dark
by LadyPalma
Summary: Will Catherine and Mary finally find happiness through escapes, secrets and deceptions? But that's what may happen next. In the beginning there's just a letter and another Boleyns' plan.
1. Chapter 1

**Knock, knock. Yes I'm again here with a new story. This time it will be focused on Queen Catherine and Princess Mary. There will be also Charles Brandon, Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, Gregory Cromwell, the Boleyns, the Seymours, Lady Lucia (my OC) and maybe some other characters and OCs. ****I really have to thank Coronna, for the help she gave me with the idea of the story. **

**I hope you like it, please let me know what you think :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Tudors or History... Otherwise they could have both been as this story shows.**

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**1.**

The rocking chair seemed to follow the rhythm of the oscillations of the rosary in her hands. Except for sewing, reading and speaking with the few ladies in waiting she still had, Catherine, during the four years since she had been banished, seemed to had really few things left to do, if not the most important, the one she should have done more and the one she would have never wanted to do: pray and think. And yet she had so many things to think about: her husband that had repudiated her but whom she was still deep in love with; her daughter she hadn't seen in years and she didn't know anything about; her world that seemed to fall slowly to pieces more and more. The last event was the cardinal Fisher and her dear friend Thomas More's execution and the only thought made the state of deep pain she was in, grow. Why was Henry behaving like this? Was it really the same boy she had fallen in love with, the one who sent to death without apparent sense of guilt her trusted and beloved advisor?

The sound of the door woke the Queen up from her thoughts: Lady Elizabeth Darrell, her most loyal lady, entered the room like hurricane, without even knocking. Catherine widened her eyes surprised by the so unusual behavior, but it took giving a look to the letter that the young woman kept in her hands and the familiar seal on it, to clear any doubt.

"It' a letter from the King, my lady!" Elziabeth exclaimed smiling hopeful, passing the paper to her mistress, inviting her to read it.

Catherine hesitated for a moment, trying to control the silly joy she was feeling, for fear of watching another fragile hope disappear again. As a girl at her first love and at the same time as a prisoner waiting for death sentence, she ran through the words of that short but revealing letter.

But after all, Catherine was a prisoner and the man who wrote to her was actually her true first love.

"Speak, My Lady, bad news?" Lady Elizabeth asked anxious after some minutes of silence.

The other woman shook slightly the head, while a sincere smile was forming on her lips. She finally looked up and now her lady could see even the joyful tears sparkling in her eyes.

"He wants my return to Court…" whispered then without stop smiling, as if in that moment saying it aloud, the sentence could seem less real.

* * *

"So, do you have nothing to say?" asked Mary a bit impatient.

Hatfield Castle was plunged into the deepest darkness and silence, except for the light of a candle and whispers in one of the room of the servants' quarter, and the light crying of a baby softened by the distance of the room it was from.

"It seems Elizabeth has just woken up again" Lucia simply commented, hearing that weeping and letting a paper fall on the bed.

Mary raised an eyebrow, she couldn't believe her ears. Could it be possible that she had nothing else to say? During those years at Hatfield as mere lady of her stepsister Elizabeth, she had found at least the comfort of a close and true friendship. Lady Lucia, daughter of an Italian faded earl, arrived in England at the age of ten and now that she was eighteen, had become one of the ladies at the service of the new little princess. The eldest Princess instead in that moment kept on be silent, letting the letter waved in front of her friend's eyes, speak for her.

"Seriously, Mary, I don't know what to think" Lucia said finally.

"Arent' you happy for me?" asked again the other girl a bit confused by that strange reaction "My father asks me to return home, maybe my dark days are over… Don't you understand? I knew he couldn't have forgotten me!" continued then, not able to hold a smile, letting her head fall on the pillow.

"Yes, of course, I'm happy for you" Lucia interrupted her quickly making a hint of a smile herself "But I can't not worry… It all sounds so strange… You must be careful, that's all!" added then slightly hesitant, afraid that her words could have been misunderstood.

But Mary perfectly understood, she knew that her friend's feeling was nothing but sense of protection towards her and she couldn't be anything but grateful: with her mother far away, her father suddenly become nearly a rival, she would have felt literally alone in the world without her.

"You don't have to worry, I'll be fine!" she reassured giving her a hand.

Lucia took it and then slowly lay down beside the Princess without saying a word. But only for a few moments.

I'll come with you!" said suddenly, turning to see Mary with her two big dark eyes.

And after some moments, both of them burst into laughers.

* * *

The sun was shining in the sky that morning and it seemed a prelude for what was soon going to happen. She didn't sleep much that night and she was still quite afraid that the clever plan she had made, could somehow fail since its beginning. But now, watching the sun, the Queen was hopeful and totally optimist for the future, a bright future that could have only two obstacles called Catherine and Mary.

"So, have you sent the letters?" she asked in a whisper, giving a look around to be sure that nobody was near enough to hear the conversation.

"Don't worry, darling" answered her father with a triumphant smile on his lips "In a few days, they will be exactly here…"

"And some moment later, there won't be any "they" anymore" Anne finished bursting in a liberating laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! I really thank you for the reviews (6 reviews in a day, really?) You really made my day :D So, I decided to quickly translate and update the second chapter, and I hope you like it as the first ^^ **

**Just a thing I have not said in the last chpater: the story is set in Spring 1536 and there are some things in AU that I'll explain chapter by chapter ^^**

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**2. **

It was already dark when the carriage reached WhiteHall and the noise from the Palace were softened, even though through the windows, the sight of the sumptuous banquet and some couple dancing, gave an idea of what was going on inside. Catherine got down the carriage a bit hesitant, she had come alone as the letter clearly said and she could do nothing but wait for the King, but it was another familiar face the one she saw.

"Mother!" exclaimed a voice behind her back; it was a bit more than a whisper, but she perfectly heard it.

Turning, she found in front of her two girls quite similar and about of the same age, and yet, despite the apparent similarity, the darkness of that evening and the fact she hadn't seen her for so long, Catherine didn't hesitate a moment to recognize her daughter.

"Mary, you've changed so much!" it was her simple answer with the voice cracked with emotion.

And she was really changed, the one she had in front of her was a young woman, and yet she was still her Mary and the bond between them hadn't changed, as the next embrace confirmed. But just the time of that embrace, some caresses and some words, that the tyrannical Destiny (and not only it) decided to separate them again.

"Oh! What a wonderful moment!" exclaimed a voice making them turning back.

It could have been five years since her banishment from Court, but if her daughter was changed, the usurper of her throne hadn't at all. Anne Boleyn was in front of them, with the Crown still on her head; Henry of course wasn't there. Both of them tried to move some steps to the opposite direction, but there suddenly George, the Queen's brother, made his appearance.

"What does it suppose to mean?" asked Mary suspicious. And she was right to be so.

Lucia's words were now echoing in her mind, maybe it could have been only a trap… It took to give a look to her mother to understand that she was sadly thinking the same. But where was Lucia? She asked herself for a moment, but there wasn't time to think, not while the woman she hated the most in the world was confirming what her intuition had suggested her.

"Did you really believe the King was thinking to take you both back? It had been easier than I though!" Anne chuckled, slowly approaching them.

Catherine turned around in every direction and now she was the one to have the intuition. There was left one thing to do: runaway, and the labyrinth in the garden was the only, even though very risky, escape route. She took by hand her daughter and with a quick move started to run in greenery, leaving behind them Boleyns' voices.

"Are you crazy?" said Thomas Boleyn that watched, unobserved, the scene for all the time "Why the hell did you reveal the plan?" asked again while the irritation was growing in his voice.

"Instead of yell at me father, you should run after them, as George's doing!" answered quickly Anne, pointing at her brother and following him, soon followed in turn by her father.

Lady Lucia, hidden behind a tree, followed the whole scene with eyes wide open and now that she couldn't see anymore her best friend and her mother, she didn't know what she could do to help her. She waited some seconds and, when even Boleyns' voices were far, she went out her hiding place, desperately seeking for help. A man on a horse that seemed to come towards her, seemed the most hopeful chance and so, after drawing his attention and waiting he got down the animal, she quickly approached him.

"Please help me!" she anxiously exclaimed.

"What's happened?" the man asked, showing himself immediately willing to help.

"In the labyrinth… Mary, they took her… And Queen Catherine of course…" Lucia answered with confusion trying to calm down.

Maybe she shouldn't have revealed the presence of the rightful Queen and Princess at Court, but there was nothing left to do but trust that unknown horseman. And maybe hope wasn't in vain, since when he recognized from afar Boleyn Senior, the man ran after him without hesitation.

* * *

Hidden behind the bushes, with the help of the darkness, Charles Brandon was waiting for the perfect moment to intervene. When he followed Boleyn into the labyrinth, he didn't think he could actually lead him to Catherine Of Aragon. And yet the woman he could see was right the Queen, with a girl he had never seen before, maybe one of her ladies.

"You are trapped, Lady Catherine" George said with a smile on his lips and the eyes fastened of his father, as waiting for a fatal move.

"Don't care to call me like that!" quickly said Catherine, who, despite the dangerous situation, seemed to have not lost her dignity and her courage.

"Why? That's what you are now: no one!" Anne interrupted her with a tranquil tone "But now I'm tired of joking!" added then ,turning even her to stare at her father.

Thomas Boleyn hesitated only a moment, then, taken the sword, put it under their rival's chin. Charles widened his eyes and he knew in that moment, that he couldn't wait no more: with a quick act, he took his sword as well holding it on the only Boleyn woman.

"Kill my Queen, and I will kill yours" he simply said with a defiant tone, staring at the other man.

He gritted his teeth, visibly destabilized by that sudden change in his plan.

"There was a time you would have fought by my side, Your Grace" he said returning the look, without putting down the sword.

"There was a time you were no one, Boleyn" Charles answered.

Lord Wiltshire made an annoyed grimace, probably hurt by that allusion and, for a moment, he put the sword even closer to the former Queen, but then, giving a look to her daughter in Brandon's hands, with a quick move put it down. He couldn't risk that much.

The Duke of Suffolk didn't loose time and, taken with him Catherine and that unknown girl, ran through the plants until they had no breath; so they stopped a moment, thinking to have shaken their enemies off.

"Charles, I have no words to thank you" Catherine whispered thankful, while the girl kept on looking down.

"That's the less I could do, Your Majesty!" he said underling the title to let her understand he was on her side.

Catherine made a hint of a smile, but that short rest was soon going to end. Voices and footsteps seemed more and more close and it was time to runaway again, but how? If they had tried even a little move, the Boleyns would have surely found them.

"We have to separate, there's the only way!" whispered the woman.

"No!" exclaimed Mary, speaking for the first time and taking by surprise the man next to her.

"Yes, Mary, I will be fine!" continued the Queen with a sweet tone, caressing her daughter's face.

"Mary?!" Charles asked surprised, suddenly realizing the girl's real identity.

"Your Grace, I beg you!" the woman said again turning now to him "Save my Mary!"

The two tried again to protest, but in vain, because Catherine had already decided and, ignoring their last tries, started to run, granting them an escape route. The Bolyens in fact, hearing the sound of her footsteps, were immediately after her. So Charles, without hesitation, took by the hand the Princess and started to run in the opposite direction.

"No, wait! My mother… We can't leave her!" she screamed trying to wriggle, when they were already next to the exit of the labyrinth.

Charles not even stopped, coming back in the labyrinth now would have been a suicide. A risk that to save the Queen he would have taken, but not putting in danger the Princess's life.

"It will be fine, Princess, you just have to trust me!" he simply said, keep on running.

And Mary had no choice but trust him.

* * *

Catherine could barely feel her legs, but couldn't stop, George Boleyn was still behind her and she heard Lord Whiltshire calling her from not far enough. Just one mistake, a simple physical breakdown and it would have been over, but the thought of her daughter in save gave her hope and courage. She kept on running, just that, until she couldn't hear nothing around her. An unnatural calm reigned supreme in the labyrinth and Catherine gradually slowed down until she completely stopped, starting to breathe again.

This, until she felt a hand on her mouth and she fell, unconscious, in the arms of that unknown person.

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**Soo who found Catherine and what will happen to her? And about Charles and Mary, how will be their escape? **

**but most of all, what do you think of this chapter? LoL Let me know^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here it is chapter 3! I really want to thank you again for the reviews, I'm happy you like the story and I hope you'll like also this chapter! :)**

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**3.**

Lucia remained in front of the Palace in the dark for nearly an hour, waiting for some signs, that anyway never came. She would have done anything to help Mary, but she didn't know what else she could have done. She only hoped that the mysterious man would have found a way to help more than her. Lost in her thoughts she didn't notice a person beside her.

"Are you fine?" asked a voice in a worried tone.

"Y-yes… Thanks" she answered jumping a bit for that appearance.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, forgive me" said the young man, who that voice belonged to.

"It's alright" she simply said with a smile, understanding his good intentions.

"Anyway, I'm Gregory Cromwell" he introduced himself, bowing his head "I'm not used to be at Court, truth be told, but I don't believe I've already seen you before, who are you?" asked then intrigued by that beautiful lady.

Lucia hesitated a moment, then a smile appeared on her lips. Yes, she would have done anything to help her best friend and she had a plan to discover the truth.

"I'm Lady Lucia, one of Queen Anne's ladies"

* * *

"Thank you for the hospitality, Lady Potter" said Charles reaching the wooden door of the room given to him for that night.

"Of nothing, Your Grace" answered the old woman "Instead, who is the lovely lady you have taken with you?" asked then with the typical curiosity of who had been far away from the gossip for too long.

Charles smiled at that question, he remembered well the woman's character, who had spent the most part of her life at Court and only recently had retired in her Palace to take care of her ill husband. He had always been on good terms with the couple and so, running away from WhiteHall, he had thought to ask hospitality for that night right at the Potter Palace, not so distant from the Royal Palace. Obviously, despite ho much he trusted them, he hadn't revealed the Princess's real identity.

"A lady" he answered evasive, sure that it wouldn't have been enough to her.

"And this lady has a name?" she in fact asked again, more and more curious.

"Lady Violet" Charles revealed after some moments of hesitation.

Lady potter remained a minute in front of him, waiting to hear other information; but when she didn't obtain any answer, she couldn't do anything but go away annoyed and disappointed, leaving behind her the duke's laughter. After some other moments, he knocked on the door beside the one of his room and waited to be let in.

"How are you?" he asked once the door was opened.

"Lady Violet?" asked Mary confused, ignoring the question.

"Yes, it's better that people don't know who you truly are, for a while at least… And Violet was the first name that came into my mind" he simply explained.

"The first name that came into your mind?" repeated the Princess now amused.

"What is it, do you find funny to repeat every word I say?" Charles asked a bit annoyed, with a deep sigh.

It wasn't enough risking his life and being now a wanted person; he thought at least to have passed the interrogatory phase with Lady Potter and now instead he had to be subjected to the irony of that girl, who seemed to speak only repeating other people's words. And he still wasn't able to believe that girl was the little Mary, Henry's daughter. Maybe he had been a bit abrupt, but the Princess didn't seem to notice.

"It's a like I like very much, I mean I would have liked to give this name to my daughter, but I haven't had the chance yet" he finally said alluding to his marriage with Margaret, the King's sister, who had died before giving him a heir.

Mary perceived the hint of bitterness in his voice and so she simply nodded, staying silent for a while.

"It's a good name" declared in the end, with a little smile.

Smiling in return to the girl who was basically his niece, Charles left the room strangely happy to have made her smile. But that smile lasted only a moment and when the door was closed again, the Princess wore again her usually sad expression, and continued to think, about her mother.

* * *

When Catherine woke up was already morning, but from the doors and the windows totally covered it would have been impossible to know it. Instead the man who was keeping her prisoner, had checked the time untile that moment and he had followed the orders preparing everything to the execution of his plan. It took only the glass of water, filled of poison, on the table near her bed and when she, once awake, would have drank it, it would have been her end.

"You are finally awake" he simply said, watching her moving.

The Queen continued to flail a bit before she widened her eyes in fear. For a moment, a simple moment, she had forgotten everything, but little by little the memories turned back in her mind and the discovery to not be in her bed at The More, nor or course in the one at WhiteHall, was fatal. She turned quickly and at the sight of the man in front of the bed, she jumped, while the fear only increased.

"You!" she exclaimed widened even more her blue eyes.

The man in front of those eyes, looked down, feeling strangely guilty. Yes, he had prepared everything while she had been sleeping, but now that she was awake, it took only looking in her eyes to see in them his unsteady beliefs as a reflex.

"Why are you doing this to me?" asked then the woman almost desperate, forcing him to look up.

"I'm nothing but a pawn, and you know that" he answered, looking again away.

"And your conscience?" she asked again while the irritation increased in her voice.

"I do what the King asks me to do, as you yourself would do" the man answered quickly, too busy in his own defense to not notice the inconsistence of his accuse to her.

"I do what my conscience says before, and after all you're not obeying to the King now, but to the Boleyns, don't you?" replied Catherine one last time before the silence filled the room.

The mysterious man looked down again, suddenly unsure. Maybe it was the moment to listen to his conscience and to something that he wasn't able to identify yet but kept him linked to that woman. She was the one who had been able to face him, the only one who could have made him change his mind, the only one who could have given him the desire to change way of life. Maybe she would have been defeated anyway, but he couldn't be the one to condemn her. It was time to make a decision.

And in the meanwhile, Catherine raised the glass full of poison to her lips…

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**Ok, I'm not so good to end the chapter this way, but, knowing what happens next, it's strangely funny LoL**

**Who is keeping catherine prisoner? Will she really die? And Mary and Charles, how will their relationship evolve? And what about Lucia, what is her plan? The answer in the next chapter (hopefully!) Please let me know what you think :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! I am back with chapter 4! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews (I'll never stop to thank you I know!) I was supposed to update tomorrow, but while I was re-watching Tudors in TV I've finally finished to translate (except the pauses watching Charles, Crommy and Henry of course ^^) Ok, now I'll leave you, really hope you'll like it :)**

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**4.**

There wasn't a good smell at all and the room wasn't comfortable; in fact it was a sort of cell, could Anne Boleyn really expect more? She entered hesitant and slowly approached the man seated in the room with a smile that she still wanted to hide. She would have been sure of the fulfillment of a parte of her plan at least, she would have gone out that room and then yes, she would have finally smiled.

"So, is she dead?" asked frank not seeing her enemy, not as a living being, nor as a cadaver.

The man looked up slowly and it was his turn now to mask a smile, imagining the reaction the woman in front of him would have had after the words he was going to say.

"Your Majesty, Lady Catherine has runaway!" he said showing himself as sorry as possible, but both of them knew it was a fiction.

"Runaway? Runaway? It's your fault, I know this! You are the one who let her go!" she yelled furious starting to walk back and forth in the room, to then stare again at her presumed ally.

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, _Master Cromwell_" she finally said, giving him another look before disappearing, slamming the door on him.

It was absurd, even to think about it, and yet Anne sometimes had the suspect of it; the suspect that in the end Thomas Cromwell would have sided with Catherine of Aragon.

* * *

It was already some days after the event in the Labyrinth and nothing at Court, unaware of everything that happened, seemed to have changed. The King and the Queen, despite the rumors, appeared in public still united and every night there were banquets and balls. It hadn't been too difficult for Lucia to let people believe she was one of the Queen's ladies and her acknowledge of Italian language was useful, if not to gain sympathy, at least to not have Anne Boleyn's dislike. Unfortunately, in her new role as infiltrator, she hadn't discovered much about probable hidden places of Mary and Catherine nor she had the chance to see again the horseman that she asked help to. She hadn't speaken almost to anyone and the only friend she had found was Gregory, the young man who found her the first day and that she had vaguely explained the situation to. He believed her immediately and offered himself to help, as far as he could.

"I don't know what to do" she sighed, seated at the banquet beside the boy, a bit aside from the other people.

"Don't worry, we'll find a way, they can't be disappeared!" answered Gregory in a whisper, to not been heard by the others, that anyway seemed to not pay attention to them at all "I could try to ask my father, he must know something about it for sure!" added then resolute.

Lucia suddenly lighted up, nodding. How could she not have thought about it before? Gregory's father, Thomas Cromwell, had to know something, or even he could have been himself part of the plan. His new friend's help then would have been really helpful and not all was maybe lost. But a sudden thought that crossed in that moment her mind, made her feel sad: he would have soon left her, and would have came back home.

"Shall we dance?" she was the one to ask suddenly, maybe to drive away that thought. She had never danced with a man, but she would have willingly tried.

"I can't dance" admitted Gregory a bit awkward shaking the head.

"Why don't we try?" she tried again, obtaining as an answer only another denial, while his face became even more embarrassed.

No, they didn't try to dance for that night. But they spent it talking and laughing, maybe about he seemed awkward or about she didn't seem so at all.

* * *

It was love at first sight between Mary and Charles's Palace in Suffolk, not only for the beauty of the residence, but maybe more because of the conditions she was living in now: suddenly it seemed she was treated again like a true princess and she had ever thought to find those conditions as a fugitive. She had now the best room and three ladies all for her, she didn't need to worry about anything but read, sew, study and play the wonderful piano. Even the company was more than pleasant and not only for her ladies: the duke had remained all the time in the Palace and had tried everything to make Mary comfortable, and yet she in his presence couldn't hold a strange and unexplainable feeling of embarrass. She had never lived so close to a man and in particular that man that, even if he was about fifteen years more than her, she just couldn't see as a paternal figure; she knew of course the reputation of that man at Court and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't deny the charm she had also on her. She often found herself to look at him when they were I the same room, and when they were distant, she found herself to think about him more than the necessary and in a way she wasn't allowed to. While she was mentally admonishing herself, she couldn't know of course that, when she looked down, he was the one to stare at her.

"_She is your niece, your niece! What the hell are you thinking_?" he screamed in his head, but a part of him seemed to not even listening. The truth was that she casted a spell on him and it was that night in the Labyrinth, even before he knew she was the Princess. Of course, he knew that he could have treated her like he had always treated the other ladies, and he also knew that the only way was to not think of her, not in that way at least. And yet the more he tried to avoid her, the more he found himself to look for her.

Like that evening.

"Princess!" he called her entering her room, after one of the ladies introduced him.

"Your Grace, why are you here?" asked Mary looking up just a bit, before closing slowly the book in her hands.

"Call me Charles, please" he interrupted her, moving a step toward her.

"Very well, Charles, but only if you call me Mary" she nodded looking up to him.

"So Mary" he said with a smile saying her name, feeling in that simple detail a strange closeness with her "Why have you not come to dinner? Aren't you feeling well?" asked then slightly worried, knowing the weak wealth she had.

Mary made a hint of a smile, pleased by the worry the duke seemed to show, then quickly shook his head to reassure him. She was well, if she could say so, at least physically. The truth was that, despite his attentions, she felt silly and naïve to have believed her father once again. She would have never got married, she would have never found love, she would have never become Queen, not of England nor any other Country: she would have been "no one", and above all she would have never been happy.

"I'm sure your father love you, Mary" Charles said after some moments of silence, perceiving her thoughts.

The Princess looked up again, this time surprised and simply nodded trying to hold her tears as, despite her youth, she had always done.

"Can I kiss your hand?" he asked approaching her a bit more, taking her hand and when she nodded, he put a small kiss on the back of her hand.

A quick and pure kiss of course, but there was something in his look that betrayed his emotions. It wasn't exactly the look of an uncle to his niece. But there was something Charles understood in that moment and was determined to let her know it too: it didn't care if he still wasn't able to understand his feelings for her and how he should have acted, he was sure of one thing.

He would have always been there for her. Despite everything.

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**So, what do you think? Cromwell was the one to keep Catherine prisoner and he didn't kill her, but where is she now? And Gregory will discover something? And about Charles and Mary whatt will happen (I really love them!). Let me know what you think... See you at the next chapter :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 is up! As always, I thank you very much for the reviews (also the anonimous reviews!). I hope you'll like this chapter!**

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**5.**

It had been nearly two weeks since Mary moved in his Palace, two weeks since Charles left the Court and he knew that that detail wouldn't have been unobserved for long. The letter he held in his hands in that moment was from the King, who expressly asked the reason of his friend's absence, but he wasn't reading anymore, he kept, on the contrary, the eyes fastened at the window, lost in his thoughts, asking himself what to do. Did he have to face the matter with the King and explain the event that involved his first wife and his daughter? Sure, Anne was still the Queen of England, while Catherine was… (who knew where she knows!), but Henry's love for her couldn't make him so blind, indeed the Boleyns were loosing their power after the last Anne's abort. Nevertheless, it was a risk Charles didn't feel to take, he would have waited for the right moment instead; for now he would have simply said something about Princess Mary's healthy problems as the reason for a more tranquil and safe stay.

"Charles, good morning" Mary greeted him entering the room.

He turned to see her and answered with a simple nod, still in part lost in his thoughts.

"Today you have been the one to miss lunch" she continued with a little smile.

"Yes, I was thinking about the letter of your father" he answered slightly worried "I have no choice but return to Court" added then putting down the letter on the table.

Are you going to tell him everything?" asked the Princess in a whisper, spurred by a sudden fear, a fear that didn't only involve her or her mother, but she found herself to think also about what the man in front of her could risk, to have defended her and sided against the Boleyns.

The duke quickly moved some steps towards her and took her shoulders forcing her to look at him. He wanted to reassure her and give her comfort, but only when he stared at her blue eyes, he noticed the fatal mistake he committed approaching her.

"You don't have to worry, I don't mean to it, not for now at least, I'll find an excuse" finally said, while she simply nodded.

He would have wanted to add something else, but he just couldn't find nothing to say. The more he looked in her eyes, the more he asked himself where the lively little girl she was, was gone, and the more he noticed that that girl didn't exist anymore. Driven by that sudden revelation, Charles kissed her slightly on her lips. Mary widened her eyes for a moment, but then she found herself to return the kiss that was the first she ever gave.

No more virgin. Only the lips of course!

* * *

Gregory Cromwell slowly got out of the carriage and gave a look around: he was finally home. When he had left to WhiteHall, by express and strange request of the King himself, he hadn't been very happy, and yet, even though he had spent the last two weeks of the stay at Court barely alone, even without the presence of his father, now he didn't seem too happy to come back home instead. In fact, he was already missing that Italian lady he met by chance, even if, anyway, he was cheered up by the idea he was in a sort of mission right behalf of her. He entered the big Palace that the King had given to his father since a year as to be his most trusted advisor, and a servant took him to his father's personal office, where he was waiting seated behind his desk, reading some papers.

"Father!" he greeted him smiling, showing his presence.

"Gregory!" Thomas exclaimed putting away the papers and standing up to approach him.

They exchanged a quick embrace and some words about the travel, work and the situation at Court, while, already behaving as a spy, the youngest Cromwell was looking around looking for some details.

"is everything alright?" his father asked suddenly, a bit confused, trying to follow the direction of his look.

But Gregory wasn't too able as a spy and he preferred much more bluntness.

"Father, I have to talk to you about a quite important matter…" he answered after some moments in a serious tone "And I have to ask you some questions" added quickly, looking up to him.

"Of course, you can ask me everything you want" the father said nodding "But, before, I have to show you something" said then putting a hand on his son's shoulder.

Even the Lord Chancellor seemed now suddenly serious and he stopped some moments in front of his son still a bit hesitant. Then she shook the head and continued to walk, motioning him to follow his way. Gregory obeyed and he soon found himself out of the room, but his brain was still at those questions he hadn't asked yet.

"Father, please, listen to him just for a moment" he said again "You see, I've met a young lady at Court and she said that.." added then, thinking that it could have been better to explain the things from their beginning.

"A young lady? I knew it would have happened! And is she pretty?" his father interrupted him, slowing down a bit with an amused smile on his face.

"No! I mean yes… she is beautiful" he stuttered a bit, taken by surprise, even slightly blushing "But this is not the point! She asked me some things… The point is I have to ask you if you know where is at the moment a certain person…"

But Thomas was barely listening to him, while, arrived in front of one of the room of the house, that the young man knew to be empty, he knocked.

"if I know where is who?" asked then giving him a quick look.

But Gregory now didn't need an answer no more. The door had opened and, even if he had never seen the person that was in front of him, he knew perfectly who she was.

"My Lady, this is my son Gregory" said his father pointing at him, while he still astonished, made a clumsy bow.

And Catherine of Aragon smiled at him.

* * *

**I know, I know it's strange, but it was the only way for mary to know where is Catherine and for Catherine to know where's Catherine and then one thing leads to another and maybe something can happen during her stay at Cromwell's Palace... Anyway, Henry is arriving really soon... mmm And what do you think about Mary and Charles? Finally the kiss! How their realtionship will change after that? **

**Please, let me know what you think, I really appreciate feedback! Hopefully see you soon with a new chapter :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I know I let pass a while since my last update and I'm sorry, but now I'm back and I hope you'll like this chapter :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed, put the story among the favourites or the follows or who had simply read... Thank you!**

* * *

**6.**

Honestly, Mary didn't know what to do anymore. It seemed she wasn't no more able to sew, play the piano, read or study. For example, now she had just closed a book after have stared in vain at it for five minutes and one of her ladies had made her notice that she was even holding it on the contrary. He stood up and slightly annoyed she went to the garden to have a walk, but now that she had nothing to focus her attention to, every thought led her to that kiss and to person she gave it to… when suddenly her thought appeared flesh and bone in front of her.

"Princess.." he greeted her after some moments of hesitation.

"Your Grace" she answered with a nod, avoiding his eyes.

Was it really their situation at the moment? Yes, since they both refused to speak of what had happened, she ashamed probably, he surely for sense of guilt. And just a look could let both of the feelings resurface.

"Where are you going?" Mary asked then, daring to give him a quick look.

"I was returning to my office" he simply answered.

"That's perfect! Because I was going to the opposite direction…" she quickly exclaimed, trying to surpass him, but he was faster and gently took her arm, to prevent her to runaway again.

"Mary, we have to talk" he whispered slowly, forgetting those silly titles they were calling each others again now.

But she wiggled out of his grip, and he let her go. It was a week that they had already spent like this.

* * *

Gregory Cromwell had never felt so embarassed in all his life as in those days. And yet, because of his shy character, there had been of course chances for being embarrassed. Maybe because the situation didn't involve him and yet somehow did, or because the embarassement appeared still mixed with astonishment and confusion, but now he didn't really know how to behave with the new "guest". He found himself to often pay her some visits, but anyway he spoke the less he could and avoided accurately to address her.

"Wait!" she called her during one of his last visit, while he had already reached the door "So, at the end of the week, you will leave to WhiteHall?" asked then giving him a small smile.

It had been a week since the arrive of the young Cromwell and Catherine couldn't deny to have developed a sort of affection to that guy, so good and honest, so apparently different from his father. And yet somehow similar. The stay at Cromwell Palace was quite pleasing, she didn't miss anything at least about material things and the owner cared even to move her ladies from The More. It was absurd and ironic, she still couldn't believe it and it was the reason why, despite all the attentions that Thomas Cromwell, from afar of course, reserved her, she still felt suspicious towards him, but not towards his son who didn't have mistakes, sins and precedents to be sorry of.

"Yes" the boy simply answered, turning to her, a bit surprised by the question.

"And how are you at Court, Gregory?" she asked again with sincere interest.

"Very well… I mean people are horrible and I have no friends… Not that I have friends anyway… Maybe it's my fault… Anyway not everyone is this way…" he answered incoherently, until, realizing to have said too much and above all the person he was telling all this things to, bowed his head, staying silent. But the formal former Queen wasn't bored or uncomfortable at all, quite the contrary that answer only made sweeter the imagine he had of the boy.

"There's a particular girl, I think…" she finished giving him a knowing look.

Gregory stared at her for some seconds and then smiled, while he felt as the ice was finally melting. He never spoke much, especially about himself or his emotions, the only one was sometimes his father and besides, since the early death of his mother when he was just a child, he never had a female figure as a reference point.

"Yes" he admitted anyway, approaching again the Queen "But there's a big problem, I can't dance" added then almost mechanically, more to himself, since his mind often turned back to that missed dance with Lucia.

"Really?" she asked surprised "I can teach you if you want" proposed then, willing to help him and to escape from the boredom of being lock through those four walls.

The eyes of the boys lightened up and, without even realizing it, he found himself to nod and a big smile appeared on his lips. Right in that moment, Cromwell Senior entered the room, surprised to see his son in Catherine's chamber; he gave him a strict look, fearing that he was bothering her and the boy under that gaze, couldn't do anything but go out, after of course a quick bow to the woman.

"I hope he didn't bother you" the man simply said, founding himself alone with her.

Catherine shook his head, and for at least a minute both of them remained silent, not daring to say a word, not daring to make a move. There were so many things they could have talked about, matters that in three weeks they had always avoided, questions that started always with the same word: why? Why did he let her go? Why was he hiding her risking his own life? And then why she was starting to trust him?

"You should be very proud of your son… He's really a good guy" she said breaking the silence and her thoughts meant to be a bit more unsolved.

"I am" he answered nodding "First of all because he's so different from me" added then with bitterness, before making a bow and leaving the room.

"_Let's hope not totallt different_" Catherine said to herself.

But only in a whisper, and only when she was sure he couldn't listen.

* * *

It was all ready for leaving by then. Charles would have liked to put it off for some days, especially since the situation he was leaving Mary, but now he couldn't really wait no more: the King would have get suspicious and besides he had promised to the Princess that he would have tried to get some information about her mother. He got on the horse that would have lead him to WhiteHall, but not before giving a last look to the palace where, at one of the windows, Mary was watching him leaving.

"Anthony" he said calling one of his servants "Give this to Lady Mary" ordered giving him a letter that contained all his greeting he wasn't able to say in flesh, and with it a _violet_.

And it wasn't a flower chosen by chance.

* * *

"I'm really happy to see you again at Court" Lucia revealed with a smile finally approaching Gregory who had stared at her for all the evening.

"And why didn't you greet me before then?" he asked slightly annoyed, even if his eyes had lightened up when he saw her coming to him.

The girl simply smiled, pointing with a nod to a man on the other side of the room that was talking at the moment with Queen Anne.

"He's my father" she explained looking again at the boy beside her "And if he had seen me only talking to you, he could have made strange thoughts about it…" added while her cheeks were slowly becoming red.

This time was young Cromwell's turn to smile, since it wasn't easy to see Lucia blush. She then explained him that that man was Sir Giuliano Verdi, Earl of Caprara in Italy and a member of the Privy Council in England and it was probably that his father knew him well. Physically, despite he had more than forty years old, was still a handsome man and the ladies in the room noticed this particular as well; he however seemed to have laid his eyes only on the actual wife of the King. And Lucia didn't like at all this news.

"That's a pity,I would have liked to ask you to dance" Gregory said, waking her up from her thoughts.

"Dance?" she repeated surprised giving him a look.

"Exactly, I had a good teacher in these days" he answered smiling, thinking about the lessons he had before his return to Court and happy to be helpful for the girl with the revelation he was about to do.

"And who this teacher is?" she asked more curious.

"Queen Catherine" he whispered, smiling even more seeing the expression of pure astonishment forming on her face.

He quickly told her all the story, at least the aspects he was aware of, and then he assured her about the security of the woman, who had found suddenly an unexpected help in an enemy.

"I can't believe it…" she simply said, shooking her head. She was happy to know that Catherine was safe, but she couldn't be so sure of it yet: she had learned to trust the boy who was now near her, but what about his father? And then, where was Mary? Gregory told her he hadn't received any news about the princess, and yet he was sure the Queen knew where she was and that somehow she had found a way to let her escape.

"Neither could I, believe me!" he agreed, with a sigh.

The two remained to talk for a bit more until the attention of Lucia was attracted by a man who was entering at that moment the hall. A man she would have recognized among a thousand and that she had waited to see more than anyone else. He seemed to have recognized her too and made some steps in her direction. Who was that man, she didn't know it, she knew only that he was the only one that could have solve the other big mystery.

He was the horseman, the only man that could have known where Mary was.

* * *

**So Mary and Charles are a bit embarassed but it was quite expected wasn't it? What do you think about Cromwell Senior, is he good or evil (I'm still a bit unsure about it as well)? And keep in mind Lucia's father Giuliano and his chat with Anne Boleyn... Because... I don't tell you just keep in mind LOL let me know what you think ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm not dead LoL... I'm finally updating chapter 7! I'm sorry for the late, but school has started and I've already a lot of homework (the first day Latin teacher gave me a translation... no comment! :/) Anyway I hope you'll like this chapter:)**

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**7.**

Mary quickly climbed down the stairs of Suffolk Manor. She had been fine for those days during the owner's absence, and yet she had also felt bad: physically and materially she hadn't been in need of anything, but emotionally, a perpetual bad mood accompanied her, most of all because of the way she _didn't_ greet him before his departure, most of all after the letter that instead he sent to her. And then, there was also some fear: what would have her father said? Someone could have told her some news about her mother? While these questions were coming up again now in her mind, she had already arrived in the garden. Charles was getting out from the carriage right in that moment, while she, without even realizing it, smiled. She would have liked to run to him, embrace him, and leave behind all her pride and the second thoughts that had stopped her, but there was something that still prevented her to show her emotions. The duke seemed to understand it and without saying a word, he was the one to slowly approach her.

"There's a surprise for you, Princess" he finally said with a smile.

The girl gave him a surprised look, but couldn't ask for something more, that the carriage opened again and she found in a few seconds, a familiar person in her arms. Lucia. She didn't have problems to show her feeling at all, at least not with her.

"You couldn't give me a better surprise" Mary whispered, embracing her friend, and looking up to Charles, who smiled at her.

"And the surprised haven't finished!"Lucia exclaimed, hearing those words and looking the Princess in the eyes.

"Are there more surprises?" she asked confused, moving again her eyes on the only man in the garden, except for the cab driver.

"there are two of them…" he intervened nodding.

"And they are good or bad news?" Mary asked again, more and more curious. Impatience was literally consuming her… Was her mother maybe in danger? Did her father refuse the permission to stay in Suffolk and maybe banish also Charles from Court, if not worst?

But the duke simly smiled again at her, and in that new smile that on that day she was seeing so often, the Princess stopped suddenly to worry and in fact she was told after some moments that they were indeed two good news, "one good and one wonderful".

"The good news is that…" Lucia started giving a quick look to Charles a sto ask him the permission to revail it " Your mother is safe and she's staying at Cromwell's Palace" said then with a big smile on her lips.

The one on Mary's lips instead, froze at that moment. It must have been a joke, right? It wasn't humanly possible something like that. She was surely kept prisoner, it couldn't be otherwise, or the situation would have crossed the limit of reality, verging on the ridiculous. She simply didn't trust that man, not the Lord Chancellor Thomas Cromwell, not the so called "Satana's emissary" and who could have trusted him in her place? If it was was the good news, then what was the wonderful? Maybe that Cromwell's Palace wasn't Cromwell's anymore! Mary, while she was getting lost again in her thoughts, remained silent with wide eyes and a hand covering her mouth by the astonishment.

"Don't act like that!" her friend adomished her "Gregory assured me that his father treat Catherine like a true Queen!" said then nodding, feeling as a duty to defend the Cromwell family, which, despite what the others might think, she trusted now without second thoughts.

"Gregory?" the Princess repeated, while the expression on her face became now one of pure surprise.

"Yes, who was he? The guy you were talking joyfully last night to?" said Charles trying to hold a laugh "It seemed they were also going to dance" added then in a whisper approaching Mary, with a knowing look.

Lucia immediately shut up and shok her head vaxed, then, blushing as always happened when she simply thought about her new friend met at Court, took the bag she had and started to walk to the Palace.

"No, Lucia! Did you really get angry?" Mary said calling her, still with the laugh on her lips.

"No!" she assured turning back and giving her friend a smile "I'm going to bring my things inside, I'll stay only for tonight anyway, then I have to come back to Court" added then starting again to walk.

"So soon?" Mary asked again sounding now sad. Was there really such a urgency?

"Yes, I'm one of the Queen's ladies in waiting" Lucia answered, turning back again and rolling her eyes callingAnne Boleyn like that.

Charles and Mary looked at her while she finally went away and then they looked at each other, but only for a moment because, now that they were alone, they were somehow obliged to look away.

"I haven't said the wonderful news yet!" the man said then, interrupting the embarrassing silence.

The Princess only nodded, curious but also a bit afraid. There was a risk that the wonderful news was worst than the other one and then she had all the rights to be afraid. Or maybe not, because this time the wonderful news, was really wonderful.

"Anne Boleyn has lost all her power… The King is suspicious about her… And you know what's funniest? She doesn't know it yet!" he revealed, sure to make her happy.

And in fact, now Mary's feelings were obvious on her face and, maybe without realizing it herself, she suddenly embraced Charles.

* * *

She kept on dancing and smiling with her ladies, as she still was "the most happy". And instead Anne Boleyn hadn't been happy for a long time, maybe since her smiles started to be forced. She knew that, despite all her tries, and after all her plans, she couldn't have thrown out Catherine and Mary and she also felt that soon the one who would have had a bad ending was right herself.

"Your Majesty, can I have a word?"

Anne turned hearing a voice calling her; it was a familiar voice, as the man that in fact hse found in front of her.

"Of course, My Lord" she immediately nodded, curious to know what that man, she often had spoken to recently, had to say to her.

Giuliano Verdi stared at her for some moments, he wasn't a Boleyn's supporter at all and he was loyal to the late Queen and the old religion, and yet he was feeling like he had to help that young woman who after all was just a pawn in a game bigger than her.

"They… The King is thinking about a way to get ride of you" he whispered a bit hesitant, fearing her reaction.

The Queen instead simply smiled, looking down for a moment, lost in her thoughts. Then, she looked up again meeting the Italian earl's blue eyes.

"thank you" she murmured then while a smile appeared on her lips.

A sincere one this time.

* * *

"Checkmate!" Thomas exclaimed without too much enthusiasm, moving the last black pawn on the chessboard, proclaiming himself as the winner of that match.

Catherine simply sighed, closing her eyes. And the match was the last of her thoughts.

"if I had moved that pawn before or the rook in that direction maybe…" she said then thinking aloud, trying to take back the thoughts on the game "The truth is that I can't think right this evening…" revealed then more to herself than to him.

Cromwell simply npdded: the distraction of her rival (only in the game now) was a casual thing of that night wasn't only a justification and all the matches in the week won by her were a proof of that. It had become a routine now, and beside paly chess, they also speak, sometimes about books, sometimes about religion – and that caused more than once to argue – sometimes about Court; they always talked, but always a bit, and a topic had always remained taboo. After some other moments of silence, the man stood up, took her chair and moved it nearer her.

"What are you thinking?" he asked curious, giving her a look "Gregory had let you know about your daughter and, despite my opinion about Brandon, I'm sure he will take care of Lady Mary… And then there are the investigation about Anne Boleyn…" he continued not understanding the sudden sadness in a such positive moment. She had surely spent worse time before.

"And you are the one to perform the investigation, aren't you?" Catherine asked with an ironic smile when she saw him nodding "Why?" asked then in a whisper looking at him again.

"Why?" he repeated confused "I think I've already told you that there are some suspects about her infidelity to the King…"

"No… I didn't mean this" she interrumpted him, not able to understand if the man didn't really understand or he was only trying to avoid again that question "Why are you helping me?" she finally asked, without looking away.

He didn't answer, but sighed deeply, then he stood up again and took a book he had always with him.

"You know, when I was young, I've been to Italy, in Florence for some years" he started, walking slowly in the room, under Catherine's gaze "I read an allegoric poem, very beautiful indeed, about the travel of a man from Hell to Heaven… I haven't understood it completely, at least until some weeks ago…" explained putting down the book and placing it in her hands.

"_Commedia, Dante Alighieri_" the Queen read aloud, looking at the cover.

"He's a poet of 1300, but don't worry for the language, there's a translation in English on the right" he explained "Read it, it's a gift… and just pretend I'm Dante and maybe you'll have your answer" he added approaching her and taking one of her hands between his an placing a slight kiss on it.

With a last bow, Cromwell left the room and Catherine follow him with the eyes, unsure if she was more astonished byt the gift or by the act. Then, she looked down at the book, opened it and started to read the first words.

"_Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita _

_Mi ritrovai per una selva oscura _

_Chè la diritta via era smarrita" _

_DDD_

_"Midway upon the journey of our life_

_I found myself within a forest dark_

_For the straightforward pathway had been lost" _

* * *

**Ok, school drove me crazy I guess ahah But I HAD to put Dante somewhere, especially since there is a little chance that Cromwell could have actually read the Commedia (even if it's improbable). Plus, there wasn't a translation in English of Dante in XXVI century, but I invented it for the story, I hope you don't mind! LoL About Mary and Charles I know I didn't put much about them, but things have to go slowly for now! Then one last thing... Keep in mind Anne and Giuliano, because there might be a plan involving them...**

**So, what do you think? I don't know if you like the story, or you don't anymore, so please REVIEW and let me know! Next chapter: there will be a development for Charles/Mary and Thomas/Catherine BUT there's also the entry of a character we all know too well :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back, sorry for the late, but school hardly leaves me a moment (I wrote a part of this chapter during maths class by the way!)... Ok, thanks for the reviews and to all those people who simply read... Now I'll leave you to the chapter, see you at the end of it LoL**

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**8.**

A stroke, then another and so on from twenty minutes by then. He didn't know how he ended up to handle a sword, but when he went out in the garden to find a bit of peace, it seemed the best idea to spend the short free time in that afternoon of May. But sinking the strokes in the fleeting air, wasn't, as he expected, an useful way to delete his thoughts; at least not when his main thought suddenly appeared flesh and bone, in front of him.

"I didn't know you were so good with the sword" Catherine said a bit surprised, moving some steps towards him.

The man stopped immediately any move of the weapon and looked up to her, as he was seeing a ghost. A ghost too real and too beautiful, unluckily for him. But Thomas Cromwell was surely famous for being able to control himself, whatever kind of emotions and situations, and that time wouldn't have been an exception: he shook slightly his head and made a quick smile.

"Would you like to try?" he asked giving her a look.

Now it was Catherine's turn to smile and slowly she approached him even more, until she took the hilt. He then, after looking at her for some other seconds, started to slowly walk around her, who, curious to discover his intentions, moved slightly her head only to find his face to few centimeters from hers. She widened the eyes in surprise by that unexpected closeness, but she wasn't annoyed as she should have been, she wasn't annoyed at all, and it was a proof of that, the fact that she didn't dare to move from that easily ambiguous position. Catherine looked down to avoid the contact between their eyes, but then she met his lips and she was again forced to look away, while she felt her cheeks become red. Now, in the silence of that desert green, she had her eyes fastened on the sword in front of her that, with slow but precise movements cut the air, but the reason of it wasn't her hand that instead was just stuck by the one of his rival. He was the one to lead the game. She could feel his breath and her own heartbeat, while she seemed not able to control herself; he could maybe appear more controlled, but in the end he would have been the first to give up. There was something absolutely curious, strange and _terribly wrong_ in the relationship between them: of course not two like "Birds of a feather flock together", that was quite obvious.

Maybe they were more like "Opposite attract". And repulse, even if it didn't seem the case.

"My Lady" he said, moving away her hair with the free hand and caressing her neck. "You are so beautiful…" continued in a whisper.

His hand was so cold. That must have been the reason why she was shivering, or at least that was she kept on tell to herself.

Catherine closed her eyes for a moment, letting herself go to that strange unexplainable feeling of.. _sin_, but then she opened them again and with a quick move, she took him by surprise, wriggling and ending up in front of him with the sword held under his chin. Now she was the one to lead the game. His look was surprised of course, but not scared, while hers was defiant but most of all it seemed amused.

"Master Cromwell" she said with a small smile "You should be careful to what you say and do… In particular when I have a sword in my hand" she said then as a reproach, moving the weapon away and giving it back to its owner.

After looking at him one last time, Catherine started to walk away to the Palace, while a small victorious smile appeared on her lips. She was playing with fire, she knew that, but she also knew that she wouldn't have been the one to get burn. In fact, while she was already thinking about something else (or at least so it seemed) he remained in the garden a little more, without even daring to think about something else.

Hell, that woman would have really driven him crazy.

* * *

It could have been twenty minutes, maybe a half hour and undeniable and undeniable he was starting to feel tired. The wound in the leg was literally burning more than the usual, and yet there was something else that at the moment was burning more: his eyes. And not for the tiredness.

"Please God, tell me what I should do" that's what King Henry, alone in the crape, was keeping on repeating.

He was seated with hands joined right in front of the Cross and now the tears were falling from his eyes and he couldn't do nothing to stop them. What had he done? How many mistakes he had committed to the people he loved and loved him back? How many disasters he made in less than a decade? And now, what would he have done?

"I'm asking please… I apologize" he whispered with breaking voice.

But it wasn't God the one he should have told those words to.

* * *

Charles was sitting in front of the table, _apparently_ playing card alone in the silence of the room. Actually, he was just moving by chance the cards, he was desperately looking for something to say, indeed he was looking for the courage to say that something in particular. Things with Mary were surely improved I those last days, they spent time together again, but they hadn't talked yet about what happened. He wasn't in need of words, he understood by then his feeling for her and not immediately from that kiss, but with the sense of loss he felt while he was away and the happiness he felt then coming back again to her. He just needed courage. He shook his head and with a sigh looked at Mary, seated on the sofa, not so distant from him, _apparently_ reading a book.

"Mary…" he started a bit hesitant.. Yes, they were back again to call each other by name "We have to talk, from a bit by now… Listen, since the… kiss, I found myself thinking often of you, indeed always… and even before… I know I can't deserve you and that my reputation is what it is… But I love you Mary" he finally confessed, sighing of relieve.

But the relieve turned suddenly into impatience and impatience in fear when he realized that she hadn't said anything yet, she didn't even looked up from the book. Confused and even afraid, Charles stood up and slowly approached the girl and, when he put a hand on her shoulder, he noticed that she was asleep. He shook his head a bit annoyed: his words had been all in vain, but then looking again at her, tenderness was all he felt and a sweet smile appeared on his lips.

"How much is it that you don't sleep?" he whispered taking her in his arms, sure that she couldn't have heard him.

He led her slowly upstairs, with the only guide of the weak light outside the window; one of the ladies looked at them confused, but the duke told her to not worry and he finally could reach her room. He left her on the bed and covered her with the sheets.

"Goodnight, Princess" he murmured moving away the hair from her face and turning to reach the door, but right in that moment he felt someone took his arm. And who could have been that someone?

"Too much" the girl whispered, opening slowly her eyes.

"What?" he asked confused turning again back to her.

"You asked me how much time is it that I don't sleep" she explained looking at him.

Charles took sometime to understand completely the hidden meaning of that answer. He widened his eyes and cleared his throat, trying to stay calm. Her hand was still on his arm. Now there weren't more escapes.

"Yes, Charles" she answered to his implicit question "I've heard everything you said… And I love you too" she revealed smiling.

"You love me?" he repeated sitting on the bed beside her and taking his face between his hands.

She simply nodded and he approached his face to hers and kissed her on the lips, feeling more than happy. He had always been attracted by beautiful women of course and he had always attracted them, but he never though to have on his side an angel, because the more he looked at her, the more he became sure of it: that girl was truly an angel.

"I love you Charles, but…" the Princess said suddenly, breaking the kiss and putting a finger on his lips.

"But?" he asked, starting to feel nervous, fearing the worst. But any kind of doubt disappear in a new smile she gave him.

"…But now I really need to sleep!" she exclaimed giggling, leaning her head on his chest and closing again her eyes.

And soon, even Charles closed his, while he kept on caressing her hair. Maybe the next day he would have awaked, realizing it was all just a dream, but it was enough looking again at her to understand that. Maybe, it would have just been reality.

* * *

**Ahhh what do you think of this chapter? Charles and Mary are finally together and there's undeniably something going on bewteen Catherine and Cromwell... But what about Henry? Is he coming back to Catherine? And what will she say? Hopefully I won't make you wait too long for the next chapter... But please REVIEW ;)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! First of all, I'm so sorry... It's been so long since the last update, but I've been very very busy with school :/ But now I'll have some free time and I'm already preparing a new story with the pairing Henry/Catherine... Anyway I hope you like this chapter, I thank all of you that reviewed or simply read! :)**

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**9.**

"Anne Boleyn's execution will be in three weeks" said Cromwell with a smile, entering her room, without even been announced.

The presumed good news remained suspended in midair. Catherine stared at him for some moments and then she found herself looking down, making almost instinctively the sign of the cross. Thinking of the woman who had stolen everything from her, crown, title and husband, it seemed every time like feeling a knife in the chest, but the thought of her imminent death surprisingly didn't made her feel better.

"Aren't you happy?" asked the man, astonished by that unexpected reaction.

"I can't be happy of somebody's death" she simply answered, starting again to sew as nothing had ever happen.

Lady Elizabeth Darrell by her side, widened her eyes and gave a quick look to the owner, who seemed more surprised than her. She put down the sewing on the table, since _she_, on the contrary of her mistress, seemed enough impressed to not be able to continue it, and with a nod of the only man in the room, she silently left the room.

"You are right of course, but we are not talking about just _somebody_" noted Thomas while the lady of waiting closed the door behind her back.

"I thought that was what you wanted…" he tried again more and more confused, not receiving an answer.

Catherine looked up for a moment re leasing a sigh, and then she came back to her work, ignoring both the comments.

"That's not what I want now" she said then keeping the eyes fastened on the hands that seemed to move quicker now.

Thomas noted they were trembling.

"And what do you want, then?" asked then with curiosity filling his voice, but not able to mask a hint of sharp irony as well. An irony justified anyway: hadn't he done any of this for her, to help her and prove that he was fighting on her side?

In front of that so direct question, the Queen was forced to definitely look up now, she also left the sewing and shook her head slowly, as for sending away the same thoughts that every time were reason of her pain: the crown, the title and most of all her husband, the three things that could make her happy, the three things that could destroy her. It was useless to be rejoice over Anne Boleyn's execution, because that wouldn't have given her back her rightful place by Henry's side… It wouldn't have given her back Henry. She would have been free, free and safe, but what could that regained freedom be useful for?

"I don't know" she honestly murmured closing her eyes and pulling back her head on the rocking chair, rocking at the memory of the one where she was sitting when she first received Anne's cursed letter.

* * *

Mary had already done a lot of times the entire surface of the garden on that afternoon, and at nightfall, it had started rain even if she, absorbed in the reading of a book of poems, seemed to not even note it.

"I must deduce that maybe the book is more interesting than me?" Charles asked, suddenly appearing behind her back.

"You were arching and I thug it would have been better to not bother you" she replied, pretending to be offended, not even looking up from the pages.

"Now I've finished…" he said following her steps and walking by her side.

"I'm sorry for you, but I haven't, instead" the Princess answered, trying now to hold her laugh.

The duke looked at her with an amused smile on his lips, then he approached her even more to try to steal a kiss, but right when she turned distracted by his move, he took with an other quick gesture the book from her hands and started to run far away.

"Charles! Stop right now!" she shouted surprised "I'm serious, take it back to me!" she continued setting off in pursuit of the man, who in the meanwhile seemed to have slowed his run.

She finally succeeded to stop him, after a while, taking his arm. One in front of the other now, they stared in each others' eyes for some moments and then slowly both of them started to laugh, while the rain started to increase and fell on them, around them. A passionate, natural, and terribly wet kiss was sealing the end of that short and silly argue that had seemed since the very start more as a joke.

"I think we should came back, my love" Charles whispered, looking up to the sky, that with its new darkness, didn't look very promising, and taking off his cloak to put it on his woman's shoulder.

Mary smiled at that umpteenth gesture of care that she received from him and now, like the lamps that were breaking the sky, it seemed that suddenly she was seeing in a new way as well how much that man had brought to her life, indeed brought her to life. But a lamp didn't hit only Mary.

"Marry me" Charles whispered looking her in the eyes and taking her hands.

The Princess widened her eyes at that proposal unexpected at all, and she was for a while unable to answer, even because she didn't have an answer yet…. How could you prepare in fact an answer for a question that you don't expect? And yet there was a question she asked herself more and more times: will I be happy? And she found the answer in that exact moment. Maybe she wouldn't have been accepted by her father, probably she wouldn't have been recognized as a Princess anymore, almost surely she wouldn't have become a Queen, but she, Mary Tudor, even without an official title, could still be happy.

"Si…" she answered in a whisper, interrupting her thoughts, while she could feel his hands trembling between hers.

A new kiss made them meet again, the kiss that sealed now a promise, with rain and a book of poems , forgotten on the wet ground, as only witnesses.

* * *

** (5 days later)

In the intervening short time between his arrival at the Palace and the audience with the King, Charles didn't do nothing but ask himself the reason of that sudden summoning. Truth be told, it wasn't so strange that Henry asked his best friend to be a Court, and it would have seemed such a normal thing even to him, if he didn't know in that moment that he was hiding something that ruled over his every though. Had the King discovered something? And if he did, how much about it? And then, what would have happened to him? And to Mary? He shook his head, realizing the inconsistence of those questions, but nevertheless he was very nervous. And unluckily to him, the nervousness that day wasn't meant to end too soon.

"Oh, Charles, welcome back!" Henry exclaimed, but that greeting didn't sound too welcome at all; he gave him a quick look and then just kept on pacing back and forth in the room.

The King seemed absolutely thoughtful and it wasn't easy to guess what was on his mind. After staring at him in silence for some moments, the Duke of Suffolk looked away from him to pay attention the other man in the room: Thomas Cromwell; he was surprised to see him at Court too, and he was surprised even more seeing an expression of fear on his face that normally never betrayed any kind of emotion. Really, how could he himself only think of being tranquil, when a cold person as the Lord Chancellor wasn't able to?

"I took an important decision!" Henry exclaimed suddenly, regaining the attention focused on him, and moving his eyes from one advisor to the other "I want to take back my wife!" explained then with a beaming smile.

"Your… Wife?" Charles repeated confused, trying to understand the sense of that news.

"But your wife is at the moment in the Tower of London and under your order!" Thomas exclaimed instead, thinking aloud; he couldn't and he didn't want to imagine, how all the accuses he had been able to find against Anne Boleyn could vanish now.

Henry almost killed him with a look and then quickly approaching him, probably tried to kill him for real, pushing him against the wall.

"Anne Boleyn is not my wife, she's a witch, a harlot, nothing more" he hissed, letting the Chancellor suddenly go.

"And so, who did you mean?" Charles asked a bit hesitant, in part for fear of receiving the same treatment.

"Simply…" the King whispered, reassuring his best friend with another smile "I mean my wife Catherine… and my daughter Mary of course… They will be again Queen and Princess and I want them back at Court with me…"

Both the men widened their eyes at those words and then exchanged a long look asking each other a silent question which no one could answer to. What about now?

* * *

**Ah! What do you think about this chapter? Did you like Charles' marriage proposal? But what will happen now that Henry want atherine and Mary back? And about the sort of triangle Henry - Catherine - Thomas who do you prefer with our favourite Queen?**

**Ok, these questions sound a bit like an advertising xD Just let me know what you think :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**10.**

There was something strange at the Palace that evening. It seemed at the appearance a normal party, one of the King's to celebrate both a marriage or a funeral, and it was hard from the outside, out of the Court's intrigues, to understand what was the occasion at that moment. What made anyway that evening special was the fact that the attention of everyone was focused on a single point of the hall that corresponded, as it should be expected, right to the royal throne. There must have been some kind of news indeed… Now that Anne Boleyn had in front of her two weeks, or maybe less, of life, it was possible that the King had already in mind a new wife and that maybe that was the evening for her introduction.

Everyone was staring at the same direction, everyone was whispering about the same topic, but Gregory just couldn't catch something revealing in those whispers, perhaps because he didn't even want to understand them; then, as for a magic, or maybe for that that psychology would have called some centuries later "cocktail party" phenomenon, he turned around hearing someone calling his name. He wasn't fond of parties nor of the frenetic Court, as it was already known, he seemed distant far away from gossip and chatters; there were just a few things that could catch his attention and Lucia was one of them.

"Look who's around!" she exclaimed approaching him with a bright smile.

The boy returned her smile and looked at her in silence for some moments. Could it be possible that the simple sight of her, could leave him literally breathless?

"What 's happening?" he finally asked, breaking the silence, more to hide the embarrassment, than for real interest.

"What?" she asked confused "Don't tell me you don't know what's happening!"

"No.." Gregory honestly admitted "I see everyone surprised, but I don't understand the reason…" he continued giving a look around him.

The young lady looked at him astonished, then she started slowly to giggle; the young Cromwell normally would have been hurt and got angry by that reaction, but knowing her character, he simply glanced at her.

"Look!" she said then pointing at the throne beside the King, the one usually destined to the Queen that appeared now taken by someone "They are all staring at Queen Catherine!" she explained, revealing the name of the mystery woman.

"Queen Catherine?" he repeated widening his eyes "Do you mean she is here?" asked then more and more confused.

Lucia nodded absent-mindedly while she was looking at a point behind the boy's back, then she suddenly bowed, and only then, turning around, Gregory could realize the presence flesh and bone of the woman that until some days before, was hidden in his estate and that now was reaching the centre of the hall hand in hand with Henry VIII. He bowed too and then he watched them dance: there was really something strange that evening, indeed surreal; but when he saw other couples joining the ball and he looked again at the Italian lady at his side, any other though suddenly disappeared.

"So, can I have this dance?" he asked her taking her hand.

Lucia's answer was easily imaginable: some instants after, a new couple was dancing and Gregory could swear to have seen the Queen, his precious dance teacher, winking at him.

* * *

To her eyes the Curt had never been so brilliant, maybe because now for the first time she was looking at it with different eyes, for the first time after so many years, it had come back to be the centre of a joy that she could join too and not look at it as an unwanted appearance. And Catherine was smiling, the hand in Henry's was in her and his smile all for her… How much she missed it, his smile, his touch, everything!

"Shall we dance?" he had suddenly asked her, taking her hand to the lips and staring at her with an unequivocally passionate look and she had immediately accepted.

And now they were there, dancing again together after nearly ten years; it seemed all so surreal and instead it was true and she hadn't got now any doubts about the fact that happiness was near, not only for her but for everyone. She was again Queen, her daughter Mary again Princess, the Boleyns were going to be defeated: it all seemed the clear demonstration of how sometimes even reality has its happy ending, as a fairy tale.

"You are so beautiful" Henry whispered in her ear, making her smile "I promise you I'll make you happy again Catherine and I'll try to fix all my mistakes… I'll try to make everything you want me to, and you don't have do nothing but ask"

"Henry…" she simply said, surprised by those words and looking around, fearing to be only in a dream.

"Do you want an alliance with the Emperor? Or maybe reintroduce Catholicism? Maybe there are some people you don't like… What about Cromwell for example? If you want, I could take some power from him or even…" the King continued thoughtfully, trying to please her.

"No… No, Cromwell is… he's fine" she immediately stuttered, while the smile was vanishing from her lips saying that name.

Right in that moment Gregory Cromwell passed in front of her with her daughter best friend, Lady Lucia; she smiled to him and made him a wink, feeling somehow pride of that boy. He would have had his happy ending too and she had to live her now, completely. She looked back to Henry and some moments later he was there kissing her in front of everyone, but between that everyone, there were only them, the others didn't exist and didn't have to, in that hall as in their minds.

* * *

The fairy tale continued even for Mary, but not exactly as she would have wanted it to. Her return to Court had aroused everyone's astonishment and nobody had been able to recognize her after that time away; the attention was of course more to her mother, to be true, but she was the one to hold the ambassadors' one, who were already trying to propose her marriage plans. "Poor them" she was saying to herself smiling, answering to their questions and looking around. After almost an hour, she finally succeeded to find the object of her research, Charles of course, that she hadn't seen since her arrival to the Palace, but the smile soon disappeared when he, passing beside her, no even looked at her.

"Excuse me, Your Excellency" Mary said interrupting another question from the ambassador of Milan and departing with a bow of the head.

She quickly went out of the room, trying anyway to not arouse any suspects and she finally reached the Duke of Suffolk. The corridor was empty, there was only him in front of her, who was taking him by the arm.

"Charles, where are you going?" she asked confused by that behavior.

"I'm retiring in my rooms, Your Highness, I have just came to give my whishes to their Majesties" he said showing a cold coldness, not even turning to her.

"Your Highness?" she repeated in a whisper, widening her eyes "Your Highness?" repeated then again now louder "What does it all mean?" she asked with a breaking voice. She didn't know why, but she felt growing inside of her the need of cry, she was feeling like dying and had been those simple words to kill her.

"Nothing, it had never meant nothing at all…" he answered turning, keeping anyway to keep his look away "Forget everything, you deserve better, you will soon marry a foreign prince or duke and you'll surely be happy…" h e said then, starting again to walk.

Mary tried to call him back but it was as her voice was suddenly disappeared. She just stared at him walking away, then, when he was out of her sight, she feel her legs go weak and then she found herself on the floor with the head between her hands. She wasn't even able to cry, tears seemed useless while she was watching unwatched her fairy tale become a tragedy. There had been the castle, the King, the evil witch, the ordeals to go through and the good helpers, but in the end the Prince Charming just left.

"Princess!"

A voice woke her up from that pain and she looked slowly up, just to find the figure of Thomas Cromwell who was helping her to stand up. It was funny how that man really seemed to have changed, funny how he had been the most important helper, funny how she wasn't find it funny at all right now.

"Master Cromwell, do you believe in fairy tale?" she asked looking at him, even before realizing who was really making a similar question to.

But the Lord Chancellor had nothing to object, he stared at her thinking about an answer and then he slowly nodded.

"I just don't believe in happy endings" he finally answered with a hint of sadness in his voice.

And in that instant, two people who had never spoke to each other before, suddenly understood, finding their own fear impressed in the eyes of the other. It was over, and all that supposed to be happiness that they had believed to reach with power, titles and richness, was all just a pure lie.

* * *

**Heyy! no, I have not dead LOL I'm so sorry for the late, and I hope you have liked this chapter and that you haven't abandoned this fanfiction...**

**So what do you think will happen now? What about Catherine, will she find happpiness with Henry, and is he really changed? And Mary and Charles, will they find again each other?**

**See you soon hopefully, let me know what you think ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**11.**

"Your majesty, I don't know what to do!" Lucia exclaimed, entering the Queen's chambers with a quick bow.

Catherine stared for a while at that unexpected new arrival and then slowly put down the sewing on the table beside her. She seemed worried and the Queen, knowing of her only that she was courted by Gregory Cromwell and her daughter's best friend, became worried herself, starting immediately to think about something bad that could have happen to someone of them.

"Lady Lucia, calm down, please! What happened?" she finally asked, motioning her to come closer.

"It's for the Princess Mary… She's looked since this morning in her chambers and she doesn't want to see anyone" the younger lady revealed hesitantly "I didn't say it before to not worry you…"

Catherine quickly stood up and, letting go any other occupation, she almost ran to her daughter's chambers. She had seen her strange since the evening before, at the Ball that had reintroduced them officially to Court, but she hadn't believe that that strange behavior meant something bad: maybe she was ill, afraid, said, angry, maybe she was feeling alone… She shook her head, letting go those useless questions and knocked on her door to finally find the concrete answers.

"Lucia, please, it's useless that you keep on knocking…" it came a breaking voice from the other side of the door.

"Mary, darling, let me in please" her mother immediately interrupted her, with the sweetest tone she could have used.

Endless moments of silence followed, but finally the door opened just that bit to let the woman in, while the ladies were forced, to their big disappointment to leave the two royal ladies alone.

"Mi amor…" Catherine whispered approaching slowly and putting her hands on her daughter's shoulders, who was keeping her eyes fastened on the floor. It wasn't a good sign of course, but when she finally looked up it was even worse: wet cheeks, blubber eyes, there weren't doubt about it: she had been crying.

"Mum" she simply whispered, crawling into her arms, feeling the wonderful sensation of home and family that through all those years she had missed so much and that only her mother was able to really give her.

Even the Queen, on the other hand, didn't miss the chance to console her daughter and show to her that she could finally be at her side. She felt every time remorse and pain at the thought that she hadn't been able to see her growing up and maybe only now she was realizing that the girl she was holding in her arms was actually a young woman.

"What happens? Tell me, Mary, please" Catherine said again caressing her cheek and letting their eyes, so similar in color, so similar in sadness, meet.

"Oh mum! I…" her daughter started, looking again down "I love him, I really do!" she exclaimed then covering her face with both hands, in shame.

"Who?" asked her mother in disbelief by that unexpected revelation.

"It is my first love, but it is also my true love, I know it… I can't loose him, he loves me to… This isn't the way it was supposed to be…" continued Mary between the tears that have started again to stream on her face.

"Who, Mary, who?" Catherine repeated again taking her hands.

The Princess stared at her mother for some moments unable to speak. The tears had stopped and it remained now only an unexplainable shame and she was afraid of the reaction that the most important woman in her life could have had: she would have done anything to make her mother proud, everything except one.

"Charles Brandon" she finally murmured more convinced than she thought "I know it may seem absurd, but we have fallen in love… And now everything is lost!" she explained then, daring to look up to spy the reaction, but it wasn't the one she expected at all.

Catherine was astonished, of course she was, but not as much as she should have been. The truth was that she had expected it in someway; she knew the duke of Suffolk and she had eyes too: he was handsome and she already suspected that something had happened between them.

"Do not be angry with me, please" Mary murmured after some other moments of unbearable silence.

"I am not" the oldest woman cleared immediately with a little smile "I do not know what to do or think… But it is not a thing to be ashamed of, love is never a thing to be ashamed of" said then with a strange light in her eyes.

Mary's eyes lighted up too and she took her mother's hands in hers, smiling in a mix of relief and happiness.

"Will you help me then?"

"Yes, of course I will help you, always" Catherine promised "But now you have to tell me everything… You will see, we will find a way!"

"I thought that it was important for me to marry a foreign prince and that I could not choose" noted Mary a bit hesitant.

"You are right. It is important destiny and titles and good marriages…" agreed her mother while a strange smile was again on her lips "But now I think that the only thing that really matter is happiness… And I will fight, believe me, for it, at least for yours!"

* * *

Edward Seymour was impatiently waiting: the services he had made to the King were finally about to be rewarded, but the promised elevation to aristocracy wasn't enough for him; he wanted more richness, more power, he simply wanted more and, calculating as ambitious, he knew how to get it. The King had taken back his wife Catherine, but the speed which he changed his mind and the weakness he showed towards beautiful woman, made him hope in a new quick change about the person that share with him the throne, or, at least, the bed. Isn't it Anne Boleyn's beginning? The more the time passed the more he felt nervous, because Edward knew: all depended on that meeting.

"Brother, relax: the King will make you baron shortly and all will be fine" said his brother Thomas, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Duke, he will make me Duke" Edward simply replied with a strange smile on his lips.

"Duke?" repeated his sister Jane, speaking for the first time "Are you really so sure about your convincing abilities?" asked then in a mixture of astonishment and amusement.

The eldest brother stared at her for a moment, the long blonde hair, big green eyes and a sweet smile.

"No, dear sister, I trust yours"

* * *

The echo of her daughter's words still repeated in her mind and the real meaning of the secret she had revealed, was now taking completely shape: her little Mary had become a woman and, normally, she had fallen in love. Of course, Charles Brandon wasn't the perfect man she had thought as son-in-law, but on the other hand it was herself who gave the Princess into his hands. Worries, plots, regrets and different emotions were crossing the Queen's thoughts, while she was walking with some ladies into the Garden of the Palace, keeping distant from the labyrinth, memory of too painful events. But what would have shortly worried would have been a different matter, that her conscience felt coherent in abandoning it, but her heart of woman and mother would have not let her ignore.

"Lady Elizabeth, come here!"

It was that voice the prelude of that strange meeting and when Catherine suddenly found a lively child who was about three years old, was surprised to link her after some moments to the poor woman who was running after her.

"Lady Elizabeth, do not bother the Queen" said again Lady Joan, awkward about the situation "Your Majesty, I am sorry…" she continued, bowing to her, while the other ladies held for a moment their breath.

"Do not worry at all…" Catherine slowly murmured with her eyes fastened on the child that was happily smiling, and she couldn't help but smile back.

She had frozen in fact, realizing that she had in front of her the daughter of her worst enemy, but she didn't go away, recognizing her fist of all as a child, a child that would have surely lived the same sorts that her daughter Mary had. She bent to be at her height and took her snow white little hands.

"You are very beautiful…" the child whispered looking at her long black hair.

"You too" Catherine replied smiling.

"Can I ask you…?" said suddenly Elizabeth staring at her with her light blue eyes "My mother… die?"

The innocence she had made the question, made the Queen trembled and for a moment she let her hands go, but now she nodded honestly. And surprisingly the child didn't ask why or how, but, showing a very premature intelligence, she asked only for a thing: a help to save the woman still know by many as the "Great Whore" and she was asking right to Catherine, the woman that would have less of everyone wanted to make that whish true. And the only one that would have the heart to do it.

"I do not know, If I can…" she murmured still astonished, trying to compare the absurd hate toward Anne to the endless sweetness of her child.

"I believe you can… You have blue eyes" replied Elizabeth, smiling again.

"Blue eyes?" the woman replied confused, with a small laugh.

"Yes, people with blue eyes… special"

Maybe it was true, Catherin e thought. And Anne Boleyn had blue eyes too.

* * *

**It has been so long I know! But I couldn't not update before leaving for London on Saturday:) I'm so excited about the travel! **

**Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter... Will Anne be saved? Will Mary and Charles be together again? And the triangle Henry/Catherine/Thomas? And the Seymours what are going to do? Let me know what you think and sorry again for the late!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi! It's been a while I know, but I still hope someone wants to read this story! I don't say anything else and I'll leave you to the reading:)**

* * *

**12.**

His majesty the King stared at her wife for some moments in silence with widened eyes, then suddenly he looked down and started to laugh, taking the absurd request just heard in the only possible interpretation: a daring, and in a sense annoying, joke. But the impassive look that the Queen kept on show made appear some doubts and, while any trace of laugh was disappearing from his face, which was covered by a worried expression now, he was forced to make her repeat the question.

"Yes, Henry, you have perfectly understood…" she said seriously, moving some steps towards him "I do not want Anne Boleyn to be executed" repeated then articulating slowly the words.

Henry shook his head, even more astonished "And what do you suggest, instead?"

Catherine though about it for a moment. "That she… She will be released, maybe banished" answered then raising slightly her shoulders.

"_Maybe banished_? Catherine, have you become insane?" he shouted at that point, unable to hold his bewilderment.

"She does not deserve to die" she simply whispered, while the memory of the meeting with little Elizabeth came into her mind. No matter how much that woman had humiliated her and caused her pain, she was a woman and a mother, just like she was.

"She tried to kill you and Mary… She betrayed me with uncountable lovers" the King retorted repeating the charges against the Queen fell into disgrace and locked into the Tower.

"She is you daughter's mother!"

"Elizabeth is a _bastard_!"

A loud noise hit the floor and that argument seemed suddenly over. But this time it wasn't Henry's anger the one exploded in that moment and the reason of that sound had been Catherine's heel.

"You have sent to death Thomas More and Fisher and only God knows how many other good people… And for how I desire that Anne Boleyn suffer, I know that revenge does not pay, blood does not wash blood" she said slowly, with tears in her eyes mentioning two of her closest friends, both died due to his husband's madness.

"Fine!" he shouted again, after some moments, inevitably shocked himself for the mention of those two names "I will release Anne, but she will have to stay far away from England… She can go to France, to his dear friend Francis"

"For me, she can even go to Hell" the woman replied "But I do not want to be the one to send her there before it is her time"

"Be careful to not end there too, helping unworthy people" Henry said giving her a scornful look, reaching the door.

The noise of the door at his back, made Catherine instinctively close her eyes, but the moment after they were open again, again on Dante's book.

And she could even go to Hell, but in the meanwhile she was starting her climb to Purgatory.

* * *

Here he was, investigated among Anne Boleyn's lovers, survived at her sudden fall in disgrace and with no fortune left except his poems… And yet he was still there, playing them in front of the whole Court. How the hell could he? That's what Charles was asking himself drinking a bit of ale, but taking stock of Thomas Wyatt's life distracted him only for a while from his constant thought and that was the Princess Mary.

"…_But since it please thee to feign a default, _

_Farewell, I say, parting from the fire_"

The sentence of the new Wyatt's poem echoed at his back and, turning around with a surprised expression painted on his face, he found out it was another Thomas the one that had spoken.

"What do you want, Cromwell?" he asked sharply, while the new arrived was moving the chair at his side and was sitting there with a bitter smile.

"You should not peeve this way" answered the Lord Chancellor stretching his arms "you have married the King's sister… I do not see what impossibility there is for you to marry his daughter" he said then while the smile became now ironic.

Suffolk widened his eyes, completely astonished by that provocation. How could that man know the nature of his relationship with Mary? Have they betrayed their feeling with some acts, or maybe was it simple intuition? He shook his head and a small appeared also on his lips.

"Said the man who wants to enter the bed of the Queen"

He was good at intuition too, after all.

"It is not…" started Cromwell, finding himself speechless.

"It is not true?" Brandon suggested raising an eyebrow.

"It is not your business" finished the other man gritting his teeth.

The duke sighed deeply looking away, while the chancellor looked down letting his fingers drum on the wood in front of him. Then he suddenly raised his head and any trace of provocation seemed to have left his face.

"Talk with the Princess" he simply suggested "And good luck" added standing up again, staring at something in from of him.

Better, someone. Suffolk followed the direction of his look and when he found in front of him the sweet and yet smile of Catherine, just nodded well aware. In that moment maybe the two men weren't so different. He took a sleeve of the other man and made him turn back.

"Good luck to you too"

* * *

The gates that delimited the Tower area, opened in front of her eyes and a sigh escaped her lips. She looked up: the big dark clouds in that grey expanse didn't look good at all, and yet the sky never seemed so beautiful to her. She took a moment to contemplate it and nearly she didn't notice the little redhead figure that reached her gowns.

"Elizabeth!" Anne exclaimed bending to reach her height and taking her in her arms "My sweet princess" she said feeling tears in her eyes.

"Mum, are you fine now?" asked Elizabeth looking at her with her big eyes that betrayed still some worry.

"Yes, your mother will be very well" assured a male voice in front of them.

Anne looked up and found herself smiling on front of the friendly face of Lord Giuliano. He smiled too and without any other word, led both mother and daughter to his carriage, giving them just the time to say goodbye to London. France? Italy? They would have left England soon and they would have done that together.

"A moment!" the former Queen exclaimed before leaving everything behind.

She put a hand under the right sleeve of the dress and let slip into a servant's hands a sealed letter.

"You must give it to the… Queen Catherine" she ordered not without a certain reticence, calling her enemy with the title she had tried in any way possible to take away from her.

But then she just smiled, she smiled meeting again Giuliano's assuring smile. She had the chance of love and be loved, she had the chance of know what it means to be happy.

There could not be a bigger power.

* * *

**I know it's a short chapter, but I had to finish Anne's stoyline and I chose to save her life and give her a happy ending!... Even if that caused troubles between the King and the Queen... In the next chapters there will be more about Mary, Charles, Catherine, Henry, the Cromwells and of course the Seymours... I hope you liked this chapter:)**


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